Counteractive Noise
by Teagie227
Summary: Fletcher DeDannwn never asked for this life, but it was thrust upon her nonetheless. And Severus Snape wasn't expecting to have such a blatant declaration pressed upon him so soon after recovery. With all her faults and his troubled past, just getting along will be a challenge. Marriage law fic. NOT A ROMANCE. You've been warned. On Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

**Marriage Law fic. Overused, I know. But, not a romance. And definitely not your average marriage law fic. Hope you enjoy!**

**Not claiming to own Harry Potter and all that disclaimer jazziness…**

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They killed him. Worse yet, _he _killed him. Damn. He was supposed to play the part. He was, "His most trusted advisor", as his supposed boss once so aptly put it. Advisor. Voldemort didn't have _friends. _But they, his true friends, found him in the aftermath. For the longest time, Severus Snape thought himself dead. And after 3 months in Madame Pomfrey's makeshift detox chamber, he was beginning to wish it so. He had been released yesterday, and his house was a mess of all sorts.

He sighed deeply as he sat down and began to rifle through the endless stacks of unattended mail. There was an ungodly amount of bills, some insincere get-well cards, some sincere get-well cards, a letter from Headmistress McGonagall telling him that he would be reassigned to Potions class in the coming school year, &c. He then came upon a particular looking letter from the Ministry of Magic. He opened it, casually wondering if they were even going to attempt to take him to trial, which would be a very bad move indeed on their part.

But no, as he read, one would have seen an expression of growing concern on the face of this Potions master, but not of fear. No. This was ridiculous, and absurd. The school year was about to start, he needed a lesson-plan, and could not bother to be distracted by such nonsense.

He discarded on his coffee table the Ministry's letter which read: _The New Order of Wizard Marriage Law….. Applies to ALL….. Due to depleting numbers of magical beings…. A Mr. Severus Snape to be married to Ms. Fletcher DeDannwn._

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Fletcher looked up anxiously at the clock and brushed back feathery white hair. It was almost 3, and Milo would be waiting for her. But no, she had to stay and wait for some truant delinquents finish up their make-up tests before she could leave. She tapped her foot anxiously.

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"I'm not going to do this. I'm not." Severus confided in HM. McGonagall. He stopped pacing her office, turned to look at her and all but yelled, "And who the Hell is _Fletcher DeDannwn?_"

HM. McGonagall kept her composure with perfect grace. "She was once a student here. Your first year teaching Potions, she was in her 7th. She turned her back on our world a long time ago. I'm sorry Severus, I thought the Ministry would forget about her."

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She threw away the letter from the Ministry. She didn't even read it, didn't want to read it. Her students had finished their test, and she descended the stairs of the school, anticipating Milo to be at the bottom…

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"Well, where is she then?" Severus asked impatiently.

"She lives in Cardiff now. There's no way on earth she would return without being forced. We have to go get her. She must know the risks if she does not comply."

"What if she does not comply?"

"Azkaban. For both of you, no exceptions."

Snape gulped.

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"Fletcher DeDannwn?" An all-too-familiar mouth called her name.

She didn't even try to pretend she wasn't looking. "What does the Ministry want with me, Professor?" She breathed.

"There's been a marriage law. You have to come with us."

She stood with another familiar face that seemed to have aged with years of worry and lack of sleep.

She drove them to her flat. She shooed away the cat that was waiting by the door and begun to try to clean up a bit. Ungraded papers and unfinished pieces of compositions lay scattered across the front room in organized chaos. "So, what are the guidelines for this 'Marriage Law'?" She asked in her skewed Welsh accent.

"You have to come back, live with us, work with us, and you've been matched with this man. I'm sure you remember Professor Severus Snape."

"I turned my back on the Wizard World a long time ago. I have done magic in years." She said with what almost sounded like regret. Fighting tears she said, "I can't go back." And then, looking up with fear and anxiety, "And I'm not going to marry _Professor Snape._" She looked at him. "Sorry…"

"You have to."

"Or what?"

"Azkaban."

"So… Snape or Azkaban…..?" She thought for a split second. "Okay. What about my things?"

HM McGonagall immediately transported all her belongings to Hogwarts by way of magic.

"And my friends? Boyfriend?"

"Memories all wiped. You don't exist."

"You can't just do that!" She yelled, and to Severus it sounded weird. "But I guess you just did, so… Let's go."

They apparated to Diagon Alley, and Minerva turned to Fletcher. "You'll have to take those out. They won't work at Hogwarts."

"Right, I forgot. It's been a while." Fletcher reached up to her ears.

And out came her hearing aides.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back I presume!**

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"You must be wed and live together by the end of the year." HM McGonagall read out some instructions neither of the two bothered to read.

Fletcher nodded. "How do I earn my keep? There aren't any jobs open here, I checked."

The older woman looked surprised at this. "There's Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Fletcher scoffed. "Oh, that? Not worth your time, was never really good at DADA, you can check my marks."

"What did you teach at your school?" Severus drawled, obviously bored.

"I'm a high school chemistry teacher. So, potions is out, but I do have a degree in art education, music education, general biology, and forensics."

HM McGonagall's otherwise expressionless face seemed to light up. "Perfect, we've never had a general fine arts professor before. This way you can work here, and get…." She looked at Severus for assistance in word choice, who offered her none. "Acquainted." She finished lamely.

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Fletcher sat in the courtyard, blinking back tears and looking up at the bleak, grey sky. She wished she had her hearing aides. Even the softest, faintest sound of the wind rustling the leaves would be a comfort now. She didn't hear Professor Snape come up behind her. He took a seat on the other side of the bench she had claimed. And awkward silence fell on the two.

He looked at her suddenly, and she caught the movement. Before she could focus in on his mouth, he was speaking. She didn't bother to catch up.

"Pardon?"

"So, how… old… are… you?" He asked much slower than necessary.

"I'm going to stop you right there. It doesn't matter how slow or loud you speak, I'm not going to hear you. Now, all I need is a chance to look at your face before you begin. And don't hesitate to learn some sign language." She laughed. "Now, I'm 27."

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "That's good. 9 years. Could be worse."

"Could be much worse." She agreed.

After a while, he asked, "How'd you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Get out of this place? How'd you keep the restrictions of the Hogwarts education system from affecting your future? Did you fake the qualifications for Muggle Colleges?"

"No," She smiled. "I took two curriculums. I had a year's worth of regulation homeschool lessons sent to me in the mail during the summer, while simultaneously taking the Hogwarts courses."

"Did you sleep?!"

She laughed. "No."

"How'd figure that? That clever plan?"

"When the letter came to me, my parents were thrilled. My aunt was a muggle-born witch, see. And my dad was just…. normal. My mum told me I couldn't possibly pass up an opportunity like this, but I never considered a job in this universe of magical beasts and wizards and whatnot. So I told her, 'I know this is a great opportunity, but I don't want it to limit my life choices. What if I grow up, and I'm miserable there?' So, we rigged up these courses. I'm so good, eh?"

He looked away, forgetting Fletcher couldn't hear him. "Yeah, real good." Then, back to her, "What house were you sorted in?"

"Oh, you're gonna love this. Slytherin."

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Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley walked out of the Ministry of Magic Headquarters. They agreed to allow the trio to finish the last year of Hogwarts they were deprived of before the Law applied to them. The Ministry would do anything for these particular heroes.

"Oh! They're offering new classes so late!" Hermione fussed. "I'm barely going to have time to get these supplies."

Harry smiled at Hermione's frustration in amusement, and Ron just grunted. He had not been in a very good mettle since Hermione was matched with Neville and they had fought more than a couple times over the matter.

"Ron, please don't be like that." She said. "Not here."

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SEPTEMBER

Everyone wondered who the newest Professor was. No one had ever seen her before. Not even around the city. She was just all around unfamiliar. She sat next to Professor Snape, who seemed to be making good recovery, and next to Snape was McGonagall in the center. The normal speeches were presented, then McGonagall said, "I'd like to introduce Professor Fletcher DeDannwn, Professor Snape's fiancée. She will be taking over all the fine arts classes."

Ron leaned over to Harry. "Oh! The poor woman."

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**Reviews are much appreciated! Now posting this because of reasons!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am officially off hiatus! Yayy!**

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Fletcher sat down her meter stick on her desk, used to measure any paper, within reason, for gridlines. But they would not be using gridlines today, no, they would not. She moved around the classrom, silent, roll stepping so not so much as a foot fall made a sound. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. Her new students were stirring about the class room, and for once she was glad she could hardly hear them, they must have been deafeningly loud. She passed out some drawing paper to the various rows and returned to the front of the classroom.

"Class, be silent, please." The sound of her voice turned heads. She knew she must have sounded weird to them. They would have to get used to it. "As you know, this is the first day of classes. You are taking a seventh-year level course, so I assume you lot draw quite a bit. Today, in order to brush some of the cobwebs of summer off our skills, I will introduce to you your first assignment. It will be a self portrait, you do not have to use the paper I have given you, and you may use any medium you like. Begin."

This is the way she thought she'd always start a curriculum, had she chosen the fanciful over logic, slow, gentle, but not unchallenging. But, she made her own choice, a long time ago. The day she left Hogwarts she'd condemned this once in a lifetime chance she'd been presented with. Of course, there were days she'd looked back and regretted it, but the longer she lived in Wales, as far away from Hogwarts she could get, the less and less she thought about it. Until the day McGonagall and Severus had come to fetch her, and erased her from the real world, she'd almost forgot about her little "gift". She picked up a pencil and began a neat thumbnail sketch of a fairy, preffering to dote on other talents. She would not mourn over her rustiness at magic; no, not today.

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_Bloody stupid McGonagall._ Who the hell cared about Fletcher, but Severus thought this was a stupid idea. Instead of eating with the rest of the schoool like normal professors of the Hogwarts society, said HM had insisted the two go off alone. Nothing special or over the top, just them alone in his, or shall he say, their quarters. And despite his taking part in this occasion that was indeed unremarkable and actually quite boring, his life would be a lot easier if the HM would stop trying to play matchmaker. So, she said beside him on the humble and singular peice of furniture in the corner of the fairly empty front room, his fiance. She shifted closer to the edge, away from him a bit, not hearing his heavy breathing but sensing his anxiety. She did not trust him, not at all, especially when his muscles were tensed and she could feel his nervousness, or anger, or aversion. So they sat in silence. Either one were obviously not hungry, and more concentrated on the fact that they were alone, and there was no one to distract them from each other. Severus looked at the coffe table, all her drawings nibs, drawing pencils, brushes, inks, and paints were arranged neatly in a very methodical row. But, treated far worse than her instruments, her various drawings and paintings lay strewn across the table in a haphazard fashion. On them he saw very pleasant pictures of fae, dinner parties of royalty, and countering that, horrific and imaginitive depictions of monsters that could only be found in nightmares. He thumbed through them. Beautiful.

"For someone who chose to leave the world of fantasy, you sure do draw a lot of it." He said, figuring it was about time to start a conversation because even if she turned out to be a dolt (he hadn't really talked to her since the day she'd arrived), anything was better than the silence. She didn't say anything for a moment and he shifted uncomfortably. Women. Not exactly his area of expertise.

"It's the only reminder I have of this place. Because I didn't hate it, contrary to popular belief. I quite liked it, really."

"Then, why'd you leave?"

She shrugged. "I guess I liked being normal more. But there's definitely something unrefined about magical beasts, and spells. It's not science, but it is, to you lot. It's so... wishy-washy. I like it." She laughed quietly, brushing her works into a messy stack. "Suppose you aren't much of a fan of uncertainty, eh?"

"Nonsense." He took a quick sip of tea. "I am the most Romantic person I know."

She smiled. "Of course." Each seemed a bit more comfortable in the other's presence, and although the two of them would sit there in silence, looking like the perfect Yin and Yang, fresh-faced, dark skinned with light hair, contrasted starkly next to an older and more world weary entity, skin the color of parchment paper and raven-wing colored hair, their attitudes contrasted ever so slightly enough to clash but have the potential to acheive harmony, and the silence took a turn to a pleasanter nature.


End file.
